20-Minute Mentor
We know you’re busier than ever, so we’ve created this new professional development resource that tackles some of your trickiest problems … 20 minutes at a time.
Introducing Magna 20 Minute Mentors. In just 20 minutes you’ll learn the answer to one key question. It’s the perfect opportunity to gain knowledge from some of the best presenters in higher education as they share tips, techniques and insights on a variety of important issues.
Listed below are the 25 programs currently available. You will find sessions dedicated to teaching and learning, teaching online, classroom management, assessment, and issues outside the classroom.
What Can I Legally Tell People Who Call Me about My Students?
When you receive a request for information about one of your students do you know how to respond under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and your institution’s policies on student records and students’ rights?
Should I Take Attendance?
How has something as straightforward as attendance become so complex? It doesn’t have to be. Learn different techniques for taking attendance that get you the information you need without feeling like a truancy officer.
How Do I Assign Students to Groups?
Despite the proven benefits of group learning, many faculty do not know how to create effective group activities. This session outlines key factors involved in successfully facilitating group learning.
How Can I Learn Student Names?
This program discusses the benefits of learning and using students’ names, and outlines techniques to help you learn students’ names as well as support the learning of names by everyone in class.
What Can I Learn from Student Ratings?
While not always fun to read, student comments often contain helpful and legitimate feedback. Learn why you shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss student comments and complaints but rather use them to become a better teacher.
How Can Document Sharing Tools Help Students Collaborate?
Document sharing software is a proven and effective way to facilitate group projects. Learn how to choose the best document sharing system for each type of project.
How Do I Create Engaging Threaded Discussion Questions?
The discussion board is often the heart of an effective online course. Learn how to develop online discussion questions that generate dynamic interaction and keep your students engaged.
How Can I Promote Deep, Lasting Student Learning?
There are a number of teaching strategies that have proven to be successful in facilitating deep, lasting student learning. The key is to know when and how to apply these strategies.
How Can I Clarify Fuzzy Learning Goals?
Some goals sound good on the surface, but are so vague it’s hard to tell what they really mean much less whether you’ve achieved them or not. Learn how to create clear goals for your students and your programs.
What Are My Multiple Choice Test Results Telling Me?
Multiple choice tests can reveal quite a bit more than a simple letter grade. Learn how individual test item results can have broader impact for test item design and teaching.
What Are My Rubric Results Telling Me?
This session provides the key essentials of interpreting and summarizing rubric results so you can better understand how to use this important tool to improve your teaching.
How Do I Use VoiceThread for Online Student Discussions?
See how VoiceThread, a new technology that allows educators to host secure, media rich conversations with students, adds a whole new element of interaction to an online course.
How Can I Use Voice Feedback to Improve Student Learning?
Research indicates that students learn more effectively and retain more of what they learn when given audio feedback rather than written feedback. This program will show you how easy it is to do.
How Do I Get More Students to Participate in Class?
Getting more students to participate is challenging, but it can be done. This program describes 18 practical strategies that work, none of which requires pulling teeth.
Learner-Centered Teaching—Where Should I Start?
If you want students to take more responsibility for their learning, but aren’t sure where to start, this program will show you a number of the low-risk, high-reward activities for more learner-centered teaching.
How Do I Get Students to Read Their Assignments Before Class?
Many students come to class without doing the assigned reading. This program will show you what to say and do in your classroom to increase the level of student preparation before class.
How Should I Respond to Wrong (or Not Very Good) Answers?
Is there a way to respond to answers that are off the mark without discouraging students from participating in the future? This program gives you 13 strategies for keeping the conversation going in a positive direction.
What Should I Do When Students Say They Have a Disability?
The number of students with disabilities has grown in recent years. As a result, the range of potential issues faculty may encounter from these students is more diverse—and challenging—than ever before. Are you prepared?
How Should I Handle Pushy Parents?
Today’s parents have no reservations about inserting themselves into their son or daughter’s education. This session offers helpful approaches for maintaining clear boundaries while working with these pushy parents.
How Flexible Should I Be with Non-Traditional Students?
Non-traditional students often have to juggle their schooling with work and parenting responsibilities. Being inflexible doesn’t work…being endlessly accommodating doesn’t either. The key is to find a middle ground.
What Can I Do About Feeling Tired, Stressed and Burned Out?
This program describes valuable approaches for recognizing and addressing feelings of stress and burnout, and includes a quiz for assessing your Professional Quality of Life (ProQol).
What Do I Do If I Suspect a Student Has Asperger’s Disorder?
While students with Asperger’s have the intellectual abilities to be successful, they struggle with “reading” social cues and comprehending unwritten rules and procedures, creating challenges for their instructors.
Cell Phones, Laptops and Facebook: What Can I Do about Them?
For better or worse, more students are bringing laptops to class. Learn how to set a workable classroom policy for cell phone, laptop and Facebook while at the same time keeping in mind institutional guidelines or requirements.
How Can I Properly and Legally Dismiss a Student from a Class?
This program provides advice on what you can do to prevent unwanted student behavior, as well as guidance on “the right way” to dismiss a student from your class if it comes to that.
My Student Has a Mental Health or Substance Issue. Now What?
If you’re interested in learning how to respond to mental health or substance abuse issues this program tells you what to do – and what not to do – when a student’s behavior concerns you.
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Topics
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Asynchronous Learning and Trends
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Educational Assessment
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Effective Classroom Management
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Effective Teaching Strategies
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Curriculum Development
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Instructional Design
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Faculty Development
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Faculty Evaluation
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Learning Styles
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Distance Learning
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Online Education
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Philosophy of Teaching
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Learning Communities
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Teaching and Learning
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Trends in Higher Education
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Teaching Careers
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Community College
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Academic Leadership
